• Olive L. Sullivan has been writing and telling stories since she could talk (with her mother acting as scribe when necessary). She holds a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from Stonecoast MFA and has taught writing classes in topics ranging from community journalism to creative writing. She enjoys mentoring students of all ages, embracing and supporting their dreams with her own drive and vision.
  
  Sullivan is passionate about all things bookish, including bookbinding. Her bookbinding business, Sullivan Book Arts, sponsors a Little Free Library to increase access to books in her community of Pittsburg. An imagist with an ear for spoken language, Olive’s work carries pictures of her Kanas homeland as well as from places she has traveled both in the United States and abroad. • Olive’s books include the poetry collections Wandering Bone and Skiving Down the Bones.
  
  Her fiction has appeared in Room of One’s Own and KONZA: A bioregional journal of place. Her poetry has appeared in several journals and anthologies, including an award-winning collection edited by former Kansas Poet Laureate Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg, To the Stars, Through Difficulties: A Kansas Renga in 150 Voices. She is also a playwright. Her most recent production, A Pocket Guide to Desert Survival, is the basis of her presentation on collaboration in the arts. She is a former journalist who most recently wrote a local newspaper column about ordinary people doing extraordinary things.
• As a former professor of writing, Olive has extensive experience in leading groups and presenting workshops about writing and creativity. She has led workshops for all ages with the group Local Environmental Action Demanded (Oklahoma) and was one of two keynote speakers at the recent Missouri Poetry Society’s annual convention. She reads her work regularly at Pittsburg’s ArtWalks and has performed and recorded poetry with the band Amanita. Olive is an inspiring speaker, teacher, and reader. She has given hundreds of readings of her poetry and dozens of presentations, both academic and popular. All programs can be tailored to the audience and its needs.
• Olive is a member of the Transformative Language Arts Network, the Dramatists Guild of America, The Writer’s Place, and A Writers Room. She loves working with people to inspire and encourage them to flourish creatively. As a member of the Pittsburg Arts Council, Olive is passionate about arts in the community.

Basic Program: Reading of poetry and prose, with comments on craft of writing. Poetry in Motion: A discussion of collaboration in the arts, based on her experience in producing a play she wrote about her journey through cancer. It includes writing exercises to encourage attendees to think about possibilities for collaboration in their own work.

Program fees range from $300 to $1,200 depending on length of performance and depth of content. Transportation costs and lodging costs should be added if more than 100 miles from Pittsburg, Kansas, along with a per diem meal allowance. This fee structure applies to readings and performances as well as to community activities.

The fee can be altered on a sliding scale depending on the sponsoring organization but will not be less than $100 per hour. Additional option: Olive offers individual consultations on work in progress at a rate of $25 per student for a 30-minute session. Work must be submitted at least 10 days in advance.

Writing as Community: Using prompts from her own work and others, Olive will lead exercises in group writing using forms such as the sonnet to explore structure and language. Writing about the Environment: Using prompts from her own work and others, Olive will lead groups in using imagery and sound to explore themes such as the environment. Program can be customized for a different theme, such as trauma, grief, travel, or heritage, depending on the needs of the educational institution.

Educational Activity program fees range from $300 to $800, plus travel, possibly including lodging and per diem. Programs can range from a two-hour workshop to all-day or multiple-day workshops and are open to middle school through adults.

If an artifact is created, a materials fee will be added to the basic program fee as agreed upon with the host organization.

Walking to Work: This three-hour workshop begins with an excursion into the community, where participants will seek inspiration. Back in the classroom, they will use what they found on the tour to create one or more poems or short paragraphs. Expanded Version: This workshop can be offered over three days, to include creating a small booklet of the group’s collected works.

Olive will discuss layout and design and some basic bookbinding techniques. Each participant will take home a copy of the finished product. Additional materials fee applies. A public reading of the group’s work can also be staged.

More Links

• https://youtu.be/iqqQFafFUro
• https://youtu.be/dYQCUbWXzXc